Italy now has a certified email system giving legal validity to electronic correspondence between private individuals and the public administration.

The new service allows people to bypass long queues at the post office by guaranteeing proof of the transmission of documents and is useful in sending and receiving official certificates, registering for public competitions and booking medical examinations among other things.

Until now sending a traditional registered letter represented the only way of proving delivery to the addressee.

The service is free of charge and is available to all people aged 18 and over who have a tax code (codice fiscale). To register go to the dedicated website www.postacertificata.gov.it and click on